Defendant Who Called in Bomb Threat to Adams County Courthouse to Avoid Sentencing Pleads Guilty; Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Brighton, CO – District Attorney Brian Mason announced today the conviction and prison sentence of Steven Sandoval, 47, following his guilty plea to False Report of Explosives on May 19, 2026. 

On February 4, 2026, at 8:00 a.m., the Adams County Communications Center received a bomb threat directed at the Adams County Courthouse located at 1100 Judicial Center Drive in Brighton. The call originated from a pay phone at the King Soopers gas pumps at 490 E. Bromley Lane. 

Law enforcement responded to both locations. The courthouse was evacuated, and court operations were paused for approximately four hours while the building was cleared. About 1,000 people were evacuated from the courthouse, and an additional 100 from the King Soopers store. 

Sandoval was known to the Brighton Police Department and was later identified as the individual who made the call. He had been scheduled for a sentencing hearing that same day in Adams County District Court in case 2025CR1472, in which he had previously pleaded guilty to Identity Theft (F5). 

On May 19, 2026, Sandoval pleaded guilty to Count 1, False Report of Explosives (F5). On June 4, 2026, Senior Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentenced the defendant to three years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.  

“Threats of violence—whether real or implied—disrupt essential public services and put our community at risk. This sentence sends a clear message that such actions will be prosecuted and those who make them held accountable. We are grateful for the coordinated response that brought this case to a safe and just conclusion.” 

Adams County District Court Judge Brett Martin also sentenced Sandoval to two years in the Colorado Department of Corrections in the 2025CR1472 Identity Theft (F5) case. The sentences will run consecutively.  
 

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